Chapter Two

Unexpected Visitors

March 15th. Thursday 8.30 A.M. S.A.125.

Kolsay Lake, Kazakhstan.

 

"W…what the fuck?!"

A loud thud, coming from outside the huge housing trailer, suddenly woke up the young soldier Ruslan and had knocked him out of his chair.

He was wearing a warm white military uniform, camouflaged with gray and black, He had short light brown hair, the same color as his eyes. Despite having been awakened by the sudden noise, the truth is that the surprise was not entirely visible on his face.

He certainly looked more annoyed than surprised, but his eyes looked as if he had an air of perpetual slumber or very low blood pressure. Although it wasn't his fault, he had those sleepy eyes from birth.

Barely two hours had passed since he had started his guard duty, and the fatigue he was suffering in the last few days had already made him fall asleep in his chair. He had been re-reading in his mind, once again, the essay he had to submit next month as one of the topics for his thesis at the military academy, when the sleep surprised him.

It was not as if he committed a fault in his work by dozing off a little bit. After all, he was the only guard stationed at the entrance of the huge forest, and had lived there for a few months, with the exception of weekends when the relief went up, and Ruslan could go to the nearest town in search of some distraction.

Visits were rare in the place, since the entire area had been depopulated for decades and nature had practically taken control of the surroundings again. With the exception of the occasional visit from academics and scientists, who came from time to time to carry out statistical studies of the area, Ruslan did not expect to be bothered by anyone else in the area. That's why the sudden knock had startled him, but even though the area was almost devoid of human life, it did not mean that it was completely uninhabited.

"Stupid animals!" He gritted his teeth and mumbled a curse as he sat up and picked up his cap, which in the fall had rolled a couple of meters beyond him. With his free hand, he made a few gestures as if tracing invisible lines in the air.

"Save last updates," he muttered, as he put on his cap.

He rubbed his eyes a couple of times and moved to the window with a frown, moving between the two desks that took up part of the place. The place itself was spacious, but the arrangement of the few pieces of furniture was a bit chaotic. Ruslan hit one of the ends of the desk on his leg as he passed.

"Ow! Damn it!" he exclaimed, as he reached for the window.

On the smart glass was the projected interactive map of the Almaty region and various data related to the weather, humidity, and terrain of the place. One side showed an image with the bust of a man rotating in three dimensions with the caption [Missing] at the bottom. Ruslan touched the smart glass, and, with a gesture, moved all the data to the side and looked outside.

He looked both ways, but there was nothing to be seen but the snowy landscape on the other side of the road, and the security barrier that prevented access to the park. It was the same panorama that he looked at day after day, at his guard post in Kolsay Park.

It was already mid-March, but apparently winter had plans to extend a little longer. Not as if that bothered Ruslan. After all, the weather was almost the least of his problems these days.

I hope it's not a bear. He thought, a little worried.

The spectral white blanket of snow spread over the peaks of the nearby mountains, merged with the gray of the low clouds, sprinkled here and there with some of the dark hues of the forest's huge conifers. It looked like a canvas on which the artist had barely made a few brush strokes, and then left everything abandoned.

Ruslan searched with his eyes, but could not perceive the slightest movement The only thing he could hear was the rustling of the branches stirred by the icy morning wind.

"SC, show me the last movement of the perimeter," he said, turning around and yawning at the AI controlled surveillance.

A holographic panel appeared in the center of the room, projected from a device on the ceiling, with four monitors displaying the outside surveillance images. Ruslan walked over to the panel and set out to see what had brought him out of his peaceful slumber. But no matter how hard he searched through the camera replays of the last few minutes, nothing appeared on any of them, but the unremarkable everyday scenery. Huge snow-covered branches of the surrounding trees helped to hide the image on two of the cameras near the door, but he still should have saw something.

"This is the third time this week, I should have asked to be transferred to Kandy Lake when I had the chance. At least there are hot springs there," Ruslan muttered in annoyance.

He walked to his bed and took out a pendant with a small dark stone hanging from the headboard. After putting it around his neck, he fastened his military jacket and walked to the door, taking his rifle. He didn't think he would find anything dangerous, but the last thing he wanted was that, when he opened the door, the first thing he would see was a bear waiting for a quick breakfast service.

Tranquilizer mode.

[Tranquilizer mode activated, four darts loaded.] Said a directional voice from the rifle, which only he could hear in his head, and he opened the door to leave.

Outside the north wind was blowing hard and the icy blast, coming up the road, produced a whistling sound that made him grind his teeth. He raised his rifle and, in a ready position, scanned the perimeter of the trailer, peering cautiously around every corner.

No matter where he looked, he couldn't find anything at first. He was almost finished going around and coming to the corner closest to the door, when he discovered several footprints in the snow. He bent down to examine them. They were a series of huge hooves, marked deep in the front, with two slight depressions towards the back. The tracks crossed the road and were lost in the woods on the other side.

"Damn deer, why don't they ever show themselves?" he mumbled.

He lowered the rifle and walked to the middle of the road. His eyes searched for some sign of the animals in the thick forest on the other side, but all he got to see was the mist coming out of his mouth.

Is there something wrong with the surveillance program? Why didn't they appear in the videos? Don't tell me that after the drones, the surveillance system is also going to break down?

He was looking at the mist when he noticed something and brought the rifle back up. It wasn't as if he had seen anything that put his senses on alert, but his instincts told him he should. The sound of his own footsteps on the snow, the beating of his heart, and the brush of the movement of his clothes against the rifle seemed to reverberate through space, and he could almost feel the hairs on his hands stand on end.

It was the sound.

The wind up to that moment had been howling like a symphony from hell, but it had suddenly ceased. All was silence. Not the slightest sound could be heard. There were no birds chirping, not even the rustling of tree branches. It seemed as if time had stopped in a kind of bell of unreality.

There is something there.

That thought filled his mind for a few seconds. He couldn't be sure where that there was, but he could sense something watching him from somewhere in the thick of the forest. The silence was almost premonitory, even if he couldn't be sure what it foretold. He turned around, pointing his gun in several directions, but he still did not know what was bothering him.

The truth is that every day that passed, he felt more uneasy in the place. It was no longer like in the first days when he was assigned to the post. The idea of a peaceful place to study and almost no sign of human activity no longer appealed to him. In fact, it frightened him.

The sun had not made its appearance for a week. Added to the moments of tomb-like silence around the forest that occurred suddenly. The strange behavior of the animals, since a small earthquake occurred two weeks ago. All was making his stay in the place a little unsettling.

Not to mention that several times, in the past nights, he had been awakened by a sort of sickly pink-reddish glow to the south-east of his position, in the direction of the great lake. The glow had bathed the horizon in a strange light for a fraction of a second only to be swallowed up by darkness once again.

And there was the case of the scientist.

That was the straw that had broken the camel's back.

It was likely that he was the last person to see him alive, a week ago.

He had already started to retrace his steps to return to the warmth of the surveillance trailer, when he suddenly stopped again. He could not explain it, but the pressure he had felt up to that moment was beginning to disappear. It was as if what had frightened him at first was receding. Even so, it took a minute for the sensation to disappear completely.

He could feel the wind slowly starting to come up the road, no longer recovering the previous fury but much softer. He leaned back against the support of the heavy automatic safety barrier to catch his breath and calm himself.

"…"

His hearing had improved incredibly in the last while, though the probable cause was due to the absence of familiar sounds from the city.

He could have sworn he could hear a vehicle approaching in the distance. It produced a strange noise but, yes, he was almost certain it was coming from the road this time. It couldn't be the weekend relay. That was still one day away, and he was almost certain that the search and rescue team would have given up by now, at least until the snow melted in a few weeks.

The unevenness of the terrain hid the view beyond the last two hundred meters where the last gully was found, before entering the stretch closest to the guard post.

Ruslan's wait was not long, a few seconds later a black shadow appeared, slowly approaching along the road. He wondered if it was someone of higher rank to chastise him for something, but he judged it unlikely. Who could it be, perhaps a new search party from the rescue squad?

"Show me itinerary and mail," he said quietly to his Neurowire.

It was then that he opened his eyes in surprise and, despite being well wrapped up, a shiver ran down his spine. He adjusted his cap and stood at the side of the barrier that cut off access to the park, while he gulped to regain his composure. In his head, he was now re-reading the final lines of the communiqué that had just arrived. He almost always received the same orders early, but this time there was a terse communiqué with the seal of the Ministry of Defense.

[SPECIAL ACCESS PERMISSION TO NEVERMORE INSTITUTE PERSONNEL].

Ruslan read the document in his mind hurriedly, as he watched the shadow of the road come even closer. Interested as he was in what was happening, he hardly paid attention that even the twittering of some birds had returned to the place.

The black shadow soon reached him and stop.

It was a dark tactical car probably from the last century of the Ancient Era, but in a pristine state of preservation. Cars of that style were no longer made, unless they were for private collections or museums.

Some of their agents use old models to get around, he recalled.

Perhaps the rumor he had heard some time ago about Nevermore special agents was true after all.

The blacked-out windows prevented him from seeing the occupants, which made him even more uneasy. Although the vehicle was almost clean, he could see large mud stains here and there. That was probably the first sound he heard, the road was not in the best condition and the snow could hide some pits due to the recent earthquake.

"..."

Both doors of the vehicle opened, and a soft female voice came from the driver's side. On the other side someone else got out of the vehicle, but Ruslan didn't pay attention to him at first.

Ruslan recalled some old urban legends about the feys. Although feys were an everyday sight, and he even had a couple of acquaintances who were feys, he had never had contact with the Nevermore feys, who were rumored to be somewhat different because of their vocation of service to the institute. Although, just because they were from Nevermore, it didn't necessarily mean that the newcomers were feys after all.

Ruslan held his breath for a few seconds, and his eyes fell on the small figure of the girl with long red hair and skin almost as white as snow, except for her cheeks and nose, which were a little pink due to the cold. Her dark eyes contrasted with her skin and long eyelashes of the same reddish hue as her hair. She wore a warm black turtleneck sweater, dark pants, and a long coat along with boots and fur gaiters of the same color. On the lapel of her coat was a black badge with a raven with wings spread over a compass rose. Ruslan saw the buckles across her right leg and almost took it for granted that she was carrying a weapon, concealed under the coat. Despite her short stature, Ruslan could not help but feel a little awkward at the sight. That girl was really pretty despite being dressed completely in black.

"Hello! You must be Ruslan, right?" she asked coming closer, while removing one of her gloves. Her voice did not necessarily sound authoritative, there was even something harmonious in her tone.

"Y-yes ma'am." He nodded his head and trying to put on the most serious tone he could.

"I'm the Special Agent Ritsuko Asami," she said, pulling out an ID from the inside pocket of her coat. "And he is my partner, the Agent Haruo Kenzaburo. We are from the Nevermore Institute's, Special Environmental Control Department."

Ruslan brought his right hand to his temple in greeting and, this time, his eyes fixed on a detail he had ignored.

It was her ears.

Her ears were unusually shaped, long, and almost pointed. Like those of those creatures of legends that he had heard when he was but a child.

She was really beautiful but inhuman at the same time. She was a fey girl after all. Where did she say she came from? The environmental control division? Well, that wasn't so bad, for a moment he had thought they were SID or FRT agents. The most feared division because they were in charge of studying the most dangerous Dark Events.

The Special Environmental Control Department was one of the Institute's divisions, although they were not in charge of dangerous missions or anything like that.

The girl named Ritsuko Asami must have noticed Ruslan's indiscreet look because her ears twitched in a strange movement and she raised her eyebrows, while putting on an engaging smile. Ruslan cleared his throat in embarrassment and, in fear lowered his hand from his temple and addressed her partner this time.

"Agents, welcome to the Kolsay Reserva...tion..." began Ruslan, but he almost couldn't finish the sentence.

What the heck?! Ruslan thought.

The image of the man named Haruo Kenzaburo could not contrast more with that of her companion. He must have been about two meters tall and one of his eyes was a strange cerulean blue with no pupil, probably blindness, while the other was black as night. He appeared to be young, despite the beard. He wore a trench coat over a black shirt and black pants, and his clothes seemed too light for the cold. His hair tied in a ponytail was black like the plumage of a raven, with some gray locks. Like his partner, he also wore a badge on the lapel of his trench coat. Ruslan could also observe, not without some surprise, that the young man was wearing an old automatic translation device in his right ear. It was strange, since the Babel program of the Neurowire system was in charge of instantly translating any dialog in the language the user wanted.

What is this thing?

Ruslan did not know why, but something deep inside him made him feel that, unlike the girl, there was something much more disturbing in her partner. His ears were also pointed, but somewhat smaller. He had a human form, but Ruslan did not know how to explain it. It was not his expression or that his body presented something abnormal, beyond the strange heterochromia. He simply had a feeling the man was dangerous.

The man named Haruo Kenzaburo extended one of his huge hands, and Ruslan answered the greeting while trying to keep his serious demeanor. He was a soldier after all.

"A pleasure," Haruo Kenzaburo said in a rough tone, squeezing his hand.

"Special Department of Environmental Control, huh? I wasn't informed that someone from Nevermore was coming this way," Ruslan lied, trying to hide the fact that he had skipped the official announcement.

"Our AI's sent the data yesterday, and we decided to come because we were close," Asami said.

"I thought they would send someone from the national offices or the primary response team. I honestly didn't think the Nevermore SECD was going to be interested just because of a disappearance."

"Well...We're not here just because of the disappearance," she said.

Ruslan looked at both of them, slightly confused.

"The lights?"

The truth was that Ruslan had to report the sighting of the lights to his superiors. Apparently, they hadn't paid much attention to him, since he hadn't received any communication about it.

"The lights, and the missing scientist," Kenzaburo said.

"Is there something bad going on in the direction of the lakes?"

Asami replied. "We are not sure, our alarms were raised by the case of the night glows that started a week ago, our thermal imaging detected some anomalies, but since we cannot access sharper images because the cloud cover in the area is too dense, the case information was sent to us by the local office… and here we are."

"You people, are not going to put the whole area under quarantine, right? The search and rescue teams didn't report anything abnormal, and we have cross-checked information with the border patrol, but they haven't noticed any abnormalities on their side either."

"During the day, at least," Kenzaburo added, quietly.

"Let's hope not, we'll see what we find," nodded Asami, looking sideways at her partner.

"Do you have an updated map of the lake area?" Kenzaburo asked.

"Yes… " Ruslan pondered for a second "… Well, no. Two weeks ago we lost the surveillance drone equipment. I'm expecting them to send new ones by next week. The most updated map is three weeks old, but there was an earthquake two weeks ago, and it possibly caused some movement on the slopes of the big lake."

Ruslan traced some lines in the air with his fingers, then pointed in Kenzaburo's direction. As if there was something even stranger about him, Ruslan looked at him and raised his eyebrows.

This guy doesn't have a Neurowire after all, Ruslan thought.

"Yes... That doesn't work on me, send it to her," the man said.

"Oh… ok." Ruslan this time pointed at Asami and gestured.

"Thank you," she said after receive the file.

"You were the last one to see Dr. Komarov alive, right?"

"Yes, at least that's what I think." Ruslan replied nervously.

"Are there species in the park that can cause harm to a human?"

"We have bobcats, foxes, bears, deers, elks, snow leopards, even rams can break a bone with a trumpet. We have no exo-species of any kind in the park."

"Could he have been attacked?" Asami asked.

"The forest is always dangerous, more so for people who are not used to it. But from what I was informed, it's not the first time Dr. Komarov came here. Apparently he used to make visits every year to the park. Someone accustomed to spending time in the woods this time of year would know it, but… I don't know, the place has been strange lately."

"How so?" Kenzaburo asked.

"Well, beyond the lights, I can't quite explain it… It just feels weird. When I arrived the place felt better, and in the last few weeks I don't know... It just feels strange. It's like after the earthquake something has changed."

Asami and Kenzaburo looked around the forest and nodded.

"There's no sound in some areas, and you can't even hear many birds. We noticed it a couple of kilometers before we got here."

"It's like the forest goes to sleep from one moment to the next." Ruslan added.

"The problem with things waking up is that we don't always know how to put them to sleep," Kenzaburo said, heading back to the vehicle.

"We'll keep in touch with your superior, the Colonel Zejho, in case we discover anything," Asami said.

"Are you planning to spend the night at the lake?"

"The lights have been seen only at night so, yes, that's the plan. We're going to walk the last route Dr. Komarov took and spend the night at the lake."

"There is electricity and water at the lake cabins if you want to stay. No one has lived there for over eigthy years but the maintenance system in the cabins is self-contained in case of emergency. I was there two weeks ago to pick up the broken drones, and it worked perfectly. The electronic keys to each one are hanging outside. The only problem is that the road is a bit tricky for a large vehicle. Before the lakes joined there were quite a few roads but, since people stopped coming, the vegetation has been eating those parts."

"We have an aircraft system in the car in case we need it. No problem." Asami said as she returned to the vehicle.

"Well, I wish you good luck agents. In case you need anything just let me know, I have orders to lend assistance for whatever you need." Ruslan waved then headed for the security barrier.

Kenzaburo tilted his head in confusion briefly, but he got into the vehicle without saying anything.

"Thank you." Asami said, with a smile.

"Enjoy the stay."

Asami got behind the wheel once more and waited for Ruslan to finish raising the security barrier.

This time, with no sound other than the sound of mud under the tires, and an occasional pit in the road, the car continued on its journey. Ruslan followed it with his eyes until a couple of minutes later it was lost in the distance between the different hills of the road. Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief.

"So those are the Nevermore feys," he muttered, as he walked slowly back to his shelter in the trailer.

The wind was blowing in crescendo up the hill again, but Ruslan paid no attention to it.

Be careful of Nevermore feys. The words he remembered from other soldiers still echoed in his ears.

As he turned back to his shelter, thoughts swirled in his mind. What did he know? He was a small town boy, he had never encountered a Nevermore fey, but maybe they weren't as bad as the news or the mainstream media portrayed them.

Thinking about it, he finally got into his trailer.

If he had decided to go deeper into the woods, following the tracks in the opposite direction from where he had passed the deer that had woken him up, he might have found something else.

Among the trees there was an area of land where the snow had almost disappeared. It was about two meters in diameter and almost formed a perfect circle.